


Counseling and Consequences

by FeralPrince56



Series: P5R One-Shots [3]
Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Angst, Goro goes to therapy, M/M, One Shot, Persona 5: The Royal, Spoilers, implied shuake
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:21:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23593756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeralPrince56/pseuds/FeralPrince56
Summary: After running into Shujin's therapist, Akechi agrees to speak with Maruki in return for some insight into his questionable research.
Relationships: Akechi Goro & Maruki Takuto
Series: P5R One-Shots [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1552291
Comments: 5
Kudos: 80





	Counseling and Consequences

**Author's Note:**

> I was playing Royal and wondered if maybe Goro met Maruki since I saw spoilers but didn't pay much attention to stuff until term 3, only to find out he doesn't (which as I started writing this I realised that Goro would immediately know what happened in terms three) but I decided that eh fuck it kinda want to see how it would play out anyway so here it is.

“Let’s have a big round of applause for today’s guest, Goro Akechi.”

As Makoto announces his departure, the gym hall full of students and teachers alike erupts in applause quickly followed by discussion of what Akechi had just insinuated. Did he know who the Phantom Thieves were or was it just for more clout? But he’s already super popular and much better at his job than the police so of course he knows! But wait... did that mean that the thieves really did go to their school? So they were just the same age as them? Was it even possible that no one’s noticed this till now?

Akechi doesn’t confirm any of it as he walks off stage and tries to get out of the school as quickly as possible to avoid the barrage of questions he was bound to get from Shujin’s students. He wasn’t in a particular rush to get home; he’d done everything he achieved to do today after all, but interacting with the public about this despite insisting on not making any more public appearances was getting on his nerves. It’s not like they had anything worthwhile to say anyway or were remotely interested in Akechi as a person. They proved as much this September when they decided that anonymous online death threats were a suitable reaction to him denouncing the Phantom Thieves.

He’s so quick to leave the place he’s barely able to stop in time when a man in a lab coat reading some paper turns the corner and walks straight into him. Akechi and the man both catch themselves at the last second before they can collapse on the floor but the man drops his papers and they scatter, “Gah… I’m really sorry, I thought everyone was in the gym hall right now. There’s that meeting with the famous detective everyone was so excited about,” the man gets down on all fours and begins collecting the pages without even looking at who he was talking to.

Akechi squats down to help him feeling that he was equally to blame here for rushing to get out of the school and helps pick up the pieces of paper, “It just ended. I was hoping to beat the rush of students that may be trying to leave now, so I apologise for rushing into you like that. I am equally at fault here.”

“Oh…” the man looks up, recognising the voice and his eyes widen, “ _you’re_ that famous detective… Akechi-kun, right? I’ve heard so much about you in these halls from eager students, but I don’t know how much of it I should believe. You’re on the Phantom Thieves case, right?”

Akechi pauses to consider his reply, still picking up the papers, “you could say that… although I’ve distanced myself from the police investigation for the time being and I’m conducting my own in my free time. However… if you were not at the panel, why are you so interested in this? You would have heard more details about it there.”

The man shakes his head and chuckles, “Uh… I don’t mean to offend you, Akechi-kun, but while the methods behind stealing hearts interest me as a psychologist, the actual law behind it isn’t something I’m following. I pay attention to the news of course, but I want to know how and why they do it, not whether they’re allowed to.”

“I see,” Akechi mutters and looks down at the papers in his hands. He doesn’t mean to read over them, but he’s surprised when the words ‘cognitive pscience’ jump out at him. He knew Shido had tried to do his best to monopolise the research on the matter in an attempt to stop the public from realising just how much of an asset access to it was, and yet here was some random therapist with papers on the matter, teaching at the very school where the Phantom Thieves started out. Akechi was never one to believe in coincidence, “I don’t mean to pry but… cognitive pscience?” He questions the man, “I’ve heard a little of it during my investigation into the mental shutdown cases. Ah, perhaps I could ask you to indulge me and tell me more about it? It may be of vital importance to the investigation.”

The man takes the pages from Akechi as the detective hands them back and smiles, “Oh? The detective prince is interested in my research, huh? Well… I haven’t completed it yet but I suppose talking about it to someone who’s familiar with the subject already may help me give more insight into the matter… and I’ve bent Amamiya’s ear enough already as it is,” He mutters the last part but loudly enough that Akechi hears it quite easily.

“Amamiya? Ren Amamiya?” Akechi asks, but of course it’s Ren. He had to have all the best connections. Akechi shakes his head, “Ah, I suppose it doesn’t matter. However, I may have told the other students that there is an urgent matter I needed to attend in order to end the panel and seeing me speaking with you may upset them. Is there somewhere we could continue our discussion, doctor…?”

“Maruki,” the man fills in for him and nods, “Follow me, I don’t think anyone will be coming into my office today anyway while they’re enjoying the festival, so we’ll have the opportunity to speak there.”

* * *

“Would you like a snack?” Maruki asks, pushing the basket full of cookies closer to Akechi when the two make themselves comfortable on the couches in the nurse’s office. Akechi looks down at the cookies, which happened to be Phantom Thief themed and raises an eyebrow.

“I would have thought they’d discontinued those after the Okumura incident?”

Maruki chuckles, “Well you probably wouldn’t find them in stores anymore, but I had stocked up on a few packets since the students seemed to like them so much… that turned out to be a mistake. You don’t think it’ll be a problem, do you?”

“Perhaps you should take them out of their packaging when you know someone will be coming in for a session,” Akechi offers, reaching for one regardless, “Personally, I don’t care. Cookies are cookies regardless of who the producers of them use for advertising purposes,” he opens up the packet and takes a bite from it. He chews the cookie and swallows quickly, not very fond of how sweet it was but choosing to indulge Maruki nonetheless, “Anyway, what is it that you’re researching? It can’t be about the Phantom Thieves, can it? They’ve only been revealed to the general public in early June. You couldn’t have possibly written an entire research paper about them and cognition in just four months by yourself,” he looks around the office, “Not on the budget you must be operating on.”

Maruki laughs at his comments and shakes his head, “No wonder you’re the ace detective, that was very perceptive of you. The Phantom Thieves actions have helped me speed up the process, but they are not the main subjects of this paper. I’m interested in how cognitive pscience can help reduce pain, of the emotional kind that is, such as heartbreak or depression. If the Phantom Thieves can change the cognition of criminals and make them feel guilty, perhaps there exists a way to change the cognition of those suffering emotional pain and help them heal.”

Akechi hums, folding his arms and pinching his chin between his thumb and his knuckle. He knew the thieves were able to steal hearts, he knew he could take away the control an individual had over their own heart, but he couldn’t fathom a method that would change someone’s cognition so drastically in the long term, “Isn’t that brainwashing? And even if it were possible couldn’t you argue pain is a necessary step in moving on, in accepting reality for what it is? Say a relative of yours had died. It’s natural for you to then grieve but in the end you can accept it for what it is and move on.”

“I’m proposing a reality in which grief isn’t necessary,” Maruki shakes his head, “Or rather, where the pain of a relative dying in your example isn’t required for the individual to move on. No one would ever have to go through the pain of losing a loved one ever again.”

“That can’t be consequence free,” Akechi shakes his head, “It’s escapism. You can’t act like a tragedy hasn’t happened or hasn’t affected you… not to mention the pain of loss can often lead to change. What would stop governments from going to war in that instance? In a world where death and suffering are trivial? I… I’ve suffered my own share of loss and pain, as most of us have” Akechi looks down at the table in front of them, “Of course if there were no consequences to it, I would bring back those I have lost and made sure they never suffered, but I’m not quite sure I’d do it at risk of never moving on or living in a world where actions have no consequences. My moral compass isn't _that_ distorted yet.”

Maruki becomes silent and Akechi’s certain that when he looks up, he catches the therapist briefly scowling. Maruki’s expression changes in the blink of an eye, and he smiles, “Agree to disagree, I suppose. Although your insight has helped me greatly. I hope you won’t mind me asking, but if you didn’t want your loved ones returning to you then what would your greatest wish be?”

The shift in conversation catches Akechi off-guard, but after so many nights playing billiards with Ren, it’s nothing he can’t handle. Akechi returns the smile as if the previous conversation hadn’t occurred at all, “I suppose that depends. I hate it but I do believe my past has shaped me into who I am today and has gotten me to where I am. There is nothing in the past that I would want to change… or rather, I believe changing that what has happened could have adverse and unexpected consequences.”

“Are you content with where you are?”

Akechi shakes his head, “No… but my goals are within reach and I wouldn’t need some sort of magical wish to have them come true. That being said I…” he trails off, unsure of how to phrase the next thought. There was one thing he could think of but telling Maruki about it would have been too troubling. At least, Akechi couldn't talk in literal terms, so he tries to phrase his next words carefully, “In order to achieve my goals, I may end up trampling on and losing a friend, the first one I’ve had in a long time. He’s quite special to me, he’s the only person I’ve ever been able to speak with on equal terms and he’s been more than capable of keeping up with me. He’s the ideal rival while also acting as a friend to me… I suppose my wish then would be our continued exchanges, or perhaps being able to achieve my goals while also having him around. I don’t want to lose him but I’m afraid there’s no way to go about it otherwise.”

“You’re worried your actions will lead to him distrusting you?” Maruki asks for clarification.

Well, if he somehow manages to survive a bullet to the head then distrust would certainly be one way to put it, so Akechi nods silently.

“I see…” Maruki hums and pinches his chin between the knuckle of his index finger and his thumb in thought, “You shouldn’t be pressured to answer this and feel free to not say anything at all, but is that friend of yours Ren? You mentioned him earlier and there’s no real reason for you to even be aware of his existence considering you don’t frequent this school.”

Akechi looks up and chuckles lightly while shaking his head, “and here I thought I was the detective. It doesn’t matter who it is in the end. I have to finish what I set out to do, it’s more important than some friendship. I’ve gone on without someone I would consider a friend for a long time, I can do it again.”

“He seems to be a bit more special than just a friend,” Maruki insists, and Akechi remains unresponsive, “You called him your rival and said that he’s special to you… that’s not nothing.”

“It’s not,” Akechi agrees, “But I have priorities. This isn’t one of them,” he stands up and looks through the little window in the door to see if anyone was outside. By now it appeared as if the students had dispersed for the day or gone to enjoy some other activity, leaving the hall completely empty. Maruki was just some low-level psychologist whose paper would be published long after Shido’s demise. He wasn’t a threat, just a bumbling fool that Akechi wasted his time on, “Thank you for the insight, doctor Maruki, but I will be taking my leave now. There’s still plenty of work to be done and I wouldn’t want to take up more of your precious time.”

“Very well,” Maruki stands up and nods, “I’m only here till November 18th and while you aren’t a Shujin student, I’ll be happy to speak with you about my research or any anxieties you may have. Till next time,” the therapist smiles, but Akechi doesn’t return it and leaves the room.

What a waste of time.

The more Akechi thinks about it the angrier he gets.

**No.**

He didn’t need Amamiya.

He didn’t need some meaningless rival.

He was going to get his revenge, regardless of who he had to get rid of in the process.


End file.
